Thursday, January 16, 2014

Why the Fuss over Coaches

The end of football season, college and professional, also
signal the end of the line for some coaches and their staffs. Each year, teams
decide that a change is in order to improve performance and perhaps to appease
disgruntled fans. In the NFL alone, seven of the league's teams will have a new
head coach in 2014, including one team (Cleveland) that will have a new coach
for the second straight season. Coaching changes captivated college football
fans, too. Long time Texas coach Mack Brown stepped down, creating a frenzy of
speculation of who would succeed him. It created a mini domino effect as his
replacement, Charlie Strong, departed Louisville and created a similar frenzy
there. His replacement provided intrigue in that Strong's successor at
Louisville was also a predecessor: Bobby Petrino.

What Does a Coach Have to do with Marketing?

Coaches are ultimately hired and fired for their ability to lead
their teams to success on the field. Let's face it- if marketing and public
relations savvy was the number one requirement for job security, New England
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would have not lasted very long in the
league (when The Wall Street Journal runs an article
describing that you smiled only seven times all season, chances are
you would not be the most energetic marketing representative for your
organization). Increasingly, coaches are being looked to as a marketing asset
for their organization. College coaches must have the ability to connect with
recruits and their parents, donors, alumni, and fans as well as their players.
Similarly, professional team coaches are incorporated in relationship building
efforts with sponsors and high dollar spenders on premium seating and tickets.

Coaches as a Source of Star Power

Marketing personnel cannot control what happens on the field of
play, but they have several assets at their disposal to build their brand and
customer relationships: Star power. In Chapter 2 of Sports Marketing, four
connection points that can attract people to a sports brand are discussed:

1.Star power

2.Family

3.Socialization

4.Community

Star power is a connection point that can be leveraged and
promoted in the form of players (current or former), coaches, team owner, or
facility. Players are a frequently leveraged source of star power. Star players
are heroes to many fans, are admired by many other people, and at the very
least are highly recognized in the community. But, coaches can wield star
power, too, as success breeds admiration from fans and community involvement
wins respect from fans and non-fans alike. So, when a college or pro team is
considering replacing a coach, it is inevitable to include whether changing
coaches would result in an upgrade in the area of the head coach's star power
(present or potential).

Will Smiling become a Performance Metric?

It is probably safe to assume that wins and losses will continue
to rule as the primary measuring stick of a coach's performance. While it is
humorous to read about Bill Belichick smiling only seven times all season, it
is unlikely that coaches will be evaluated closely on how "marketing
friendly" their body language is. But, as teams make new head coach hires
they must keep in mind the potential of a prospective coach to support
marketing efforts. And, the marketing prowess of coaches is not limited to the
current leader. Former or retired coaches are often revered for their past
accomplishments and can serve a team well as a brand ambassador.

Should the star power of a coach (or potential to develop star
power) be a criterion when a team is hiring a head coach? Why or why not?